The “Peacemaker” project appeared in 2014 as part of the work of the “People’s Home Front” volunteer group. The creators of “Peacemaker” are a group of specialists who study the signs of crimes against the Ukrainian state and society. Later, a website of the same name was created, which is also an independent non-governmental publication.
Who owns “Peacemaker”?
“Peacemaker” is led by a Ukrainian public figure Georgy Tuka. The idea of its creation belongs to Anton Gerashchenko, who at that time was a freelance adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. This resource is also run by people close to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov. At the same time, the SBU has repeatedly emphasized that it has nothing to do with this site.
Who's in this database?
The resource compiles and publishes in the public domain a database containing the personal data of people considered, according to the authors of “Peacemaker,” to be separatists or “agents of the Kremlin.” This database includes politicians, journalists, film and theater artists, political scientists, and in general anyone whom the site’s activists consider “undesirable” and “dangerous” for Ukraine. The last one who .
How is data collected?
Personal data - photographs, addresses, telephone numbers and any other personal information - is collected illegally and published without the permission of those people who come to the attention of the “Peacemaker”. Often, posting this data in the public domain poses a direct danger to people's lives. For example, in October 2015, an Internet portal published personal data of Russian pilots fighting in Syria. And the Ukrainian journalist Oles Buzina was killed on April 16, 2015 after his home address was published in the database.
In Kyiv on January 26, former first deputy general director of the State Administration of Railway Transport of Ukraine (Ukrzaliznytsia) Nikolai Sergienko shot himself. The reasons for the suicide were not announced. Law enforcement officials claim that at the time of the tragedy, there was no one in the apartment except the victim, the doors and windows were locked from the inside, and the locks were not damaged.
Is it dangerous to get into the “Peacemaker” base and in whose hands is it a tool, AiF.ru asked Alexey Mukhin, General Director of the Center for Political Information. The expert believes that this resource is beneficial to the Ukrainian authorities, who use it to deal with their political opponents, and getting into the database poses a threat to the life of the person whose name is listed there.
“This is a database for Ukrainian radicals, who can be indirectly targeted to solve some problems of the current authorities of Ukraine. Judging by the fact that even the United States called for the closure of this site, but it still exists, the Ukrainian authorities are interested in it. In this way they can deal with their political opponents. Take, for example, the murder of Oles Buzina, which occurred just after it was included in the database. Should you pay attention to the fact that you are included in the database? It’s worth it if you want to live and not have problems with Ukrainian radicals, Nazis,” said Mukhin.
Political scientist Alexey Martynov, director of the Institute of Modern States, believes that “Peacemaker” is a place for settling scores with people disliked by the Ukrainian regime. Getting into the base often threatens life, as it is an unspoken guide to action for various nationalist-minded Ukrainians.
“This is a rather disgusting public Ukrainian platform, at one time the personal data of certain undesirable persons was published here, I mean those who actively opposed the disgrace that is happening in Ukraine today. From the point of view of those who are not in Ukraine and end up in the base, this is a kind of badge of honor. A sign that this person is an honored fighter against the ugly Nazi regime. It seems to me that the presence of certain Russian political scientists and journalists on this site is, although a badge of distinction, but certainly dangerous. Publication on “Myrotvorets” is a guide to action for a certain number of deranged and disoriented nationalists in Ukraine. And some data, including photographs, allows some scumbag to stab an unwanted person with a knife when they meet. Of course there is danger. Bashar al-Assad definitely shouldn’t pay attention to the fact that he ended up in this base. Rather, this is an advertisement for this site. This is a tool for inciting ethnic hatred, a tool for radicals. There is also feedback, any activist can write there. This is a place for settling scores: political, economic, whatever you want,” he said.
On April 26, three people ended up in the “Purgatory” of the “Peacemaker” website: Sergey Shnurov, Valery Leontyev and Steven Seagal.
The reason for the publication of the data of the leader of the Russian group “Leningrad” Sergei Shnurov was “illegal crossing of the state border of Ukraine.” He was reminded that in August 2016 “Leningrad” performed at music festival in Sevastopol.
“I’m not used to breaking into a closed door. Well, they don’t let me in and they don’t let me in, what’s the problem? We've been banned so many times! Nobody gave us permission, it was more like that. I’m used to it,” reports RIA Novosti Shnurov's reaction to the ban on entry into Ukraine.
Singer Valery Leontyev was also accused of “illegally crossing the state border of Ukraine” and conducting concert activities in Crimea, “violating Ukrainian legislation.” The administration of “Peacemaker” reports that Leontyev performed in Simferopol, Sevastopol, Sudak, Yalta, Feodosia and Evpatoria from 2014 to 2016.
And of course, at “Peacemaker” they couldn’t help but note the personality of the American actor Steven Seagal, who received Russian citizenship last November. As stated on the website, 65-year-old Seagal was included in the database not only for “illegal crossing of the state border of Ukraine” - he is also charged with “denial of Russian aggression, support for the annexation of Crimea.” The actor is called “an accomplice of Russian occupiers and pro-Russian terrorists.” As evidence, the website provides photographs of Seagal during his visit to Crimea.
Let us remind you that in March “Peacemaker” entered into its database the data of the Eurovision 2017 participant from Russia. Later, the Security Service of Ukraine banned the singer from entering for three years, thereby eliminating her participation in the competition. In addition, the portal contains data from other Russians: artists Stas Piekha, Bianka, Yulianna Karaulova, Irina Allegrova, world-famous traveler Fyodor Konyukhov, etc.
Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs Anton Gerashchenko admitted: the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the SBU took advantage of the murders of ex-people's deputy Oleg Kalashnikov and journalist Oles Buzina to collect information about separatists, terrorists, sympathizers of the DPR and LPR.
The bait portal was launched by volunteers with the support of law enforcement agencies. Its goal is to collect dossiers on citizens of Ukraine and Russia who visit the special website “Peacemaker.”
According to the minister's adviser, a law-abiding citizen will not look for information about himself, his relatives and acquaintances among separatists and terrorists.
As a result, every visitor to the site is automatically added to the list of enemies of Ukraine.
Virtual communication between Kalashnikov and Buzina
After two murders - April 15 Oleg Kalashnikov, whom the killers waylaid at the threshold of an apartment in a high-rise building in the capital and shot him point-blank with a “control” shot to the head. April 16 Olesya Buziny, shot on the street near his house by unknown persons, the minister's adviser Anton Gerashchenko made many sensational statements.
« It seems that the shooting of witnesses in the Anti-Maidan case continues. Anyone who was involved in the organization and financing of the Anti-Maidan or other illegal actions against the Maidan and feels a threat to their lives, please contact law enforcement agencies so as not to follow the path of Kalashnikov and Buzina“- said Gerashchenko.
The adviser hinted that the data of Oles Buzina and Oleg Kalashnikov appeared on the Myrotvorets website. At the beginning of the year, Gerashchenko presented it as a project to collect data on “terrorists and separatists,” allegedly created by a group of like-minded people to assist in the work of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the SBU.
The site's database contained data on Oleg Kalashnikov and Oles Buzina - as separatists, provocateurs, accomplices of militants, organizers of Anti-Maidan, and so on.
But the main thing is that the exact home address of both was indicated.
There is a direct connection between the disclosure of personal data of the victims, the labels they were given, and the reprisals against them. The public started talking about this, indignant at the fact that the dead were accused of a host of sins without evidence, and even indicated the address where they could be found.
It was then that it became clear that, it turns out, all this was done for a reason. This was the essence of the special operation codenamed “Gyulchatay - open a personal message,” and the creators of the site were waiting for a suitable victim. Gerashchenko spoke about this.
Fishing with live bait
According to Gerashchenko, in last days The Peacemaker website has become one of the leaders in terms of traffic on the Runet.
« Within a few days, it received hundreds of thousands of requests from Russian terrorists/mercenaries, military personnel Russian army who took part in the undeclared war against Ukraine, as well as curious people who wanted to check the presence of themselves or their friends in the databases of the “Peacemaker” website for illegal actions against the people of Ukraine“- said Gerashchenko.
The adviser revealed the secrets of the special operation code-named “Gyulchatay - open a personal message.” The goal is to identify as many Russian and Ukrainian terrorists as possible who, when visiting the “Peacemaker” website, documented themselves and their accomplices in their crimes by entering their identifying information in the “Search” window: full name, telephone numbers, emails and even home addresses.
Their data will now be used as evidence in future courts and tribunals - both in Ukraine and abroad.
« In order to develop a plan for the special operation “Gyulchatay”, titanic work was previously carried out (well, as it seems to us), involving specialists from various fields of activity: psychologists, philologists, programmers, former and current law enforcement officers. These specialists compiled generalized psychological portraits of mercenaries of Russian origin and military personnel of the Russian army. Information about the places of permanent deployment in the Russian Federation of units of the Russian army that committed war crimes on the territory of Ukraine was studied, and the available information about the main cities that “supplied” mercenaries of Russian origin was systematized. All this was done in order to determine the ranges of IP addresses in the regions under study. The appropriate software was developed to process information as a result of user requests. The essence of the method is that under certain conditions of information influence, criminals can independently disclose their identifying data, as well as the data of known perpetrators and accomplices of crimes.“- says the site administration in the report submitted by Gerashchenko.
According to the administrator, by the end of March 2015, the plan for the special operation “Gyulchatay” was generally ready, but in order to begin its implementation, it was necessary to accurately select the “H” time.
And this time “H”, as it usually happens, came suddenly and unexpectedly for us on April 15, 2015 (the day of the murder of Oleg Kalashnikov - ed).
Amazing coincidence?
But here small inconsistencies begin: the site administration stated that on April 15, 2015, at about 19-00, the system administrator on duty reported a sharp increase in the number of visitors to our site, and that their number from the RU.net segment exceeded the number of visitors from the UA segment. net.
They associated such an influx with the release of materials in the Russian press about the murder of the former people's deputy Oleg Kalashnikov.
Despite the fact that, according to the police, the politician was attacked at 19.20. But Gerashchenko did not pay attention to such trifles. Nor did he notice that another event was scheduled by the site administration for April 16, the day of the murder of Oles Buzina.
The foresight of the site's organizers is surprising. Who could have known that on March 16 another murder of a public figure would be committed?! Can this be called a coincidence?
After the second high-profile crime in a row, the site administration boasted that today in the databases of the “Peacemaker” site there are 32 thousand profiles of people who either fought against Ukraine, or undermined its sovereignty from the inside, or betrayed the oath of allegiance to the people of Ukraine.
Curiosity killed me
After the minister’s adviser shared information on the Internet about how militants and “traitors to the motherland” are caught online, shocked fellow citizens were openly indignant. As it turned out, some of them, out of curiosity, checked to see if they were on the “black lists.”
« I am a citizen of Ukraine, who did not call for the split of the country, but called for peace, how did my profile get on this site?! Anton, my profile is on this shit site. This is a direct threat to my life after what happened with Buzina and Kalashnikov, who were also on this “resource”. I officially contact law enforcement agencies and the prosecutor's office“- wrote on Gerashchenko’s page on the social network Egor Kletsov, but instead of answering, he was blocked by the people's deputy.
Another user admitted that he searched on this site by name, surname, address, date of birth and even identification code of his friend Sergei Egorov, as well as the husband of his ex-wife.
« In conclusion, I searched for myself seventeen times using various criteria. Does this mean that now they will come to us all, for us all?", asks Arthur Gurari.
There are quite a few users like Arthur: they are all shocked that they are automatically included in the list of terrorists and traitors. But lawyers reassure them, arguing that only the court can decide whether a person is involved in illegal activities or not.
« For everyone who appears on this site, you need to collect evidence and go to court with it, get a decision, and only after that label them. Otherwise, this site should be closed for deception, illegal distribution of personal information, and false accusations. No one has yet canceled the presumption of innocence. No Gerashchenko has the right to appoint people as separatists, criminals, post people’s addresses, telephone numbers, etc.“- says Rafael Shmatko.
Murder as a method of solving problems
Most lawyers believe that no court, especially a Western one, will be able to use the collected information. Search queries of users on any site cannot serve as evidence in any court, and the very existence of the site is doubtful.
In addition, experts calculated that the portal’s servers are located outside the country - in Dallas, America.
« And what is also typical for the work of “death squads” - on April 14, Buzin was entered on the “Peacemaker” website, on which all sorts of supposedly separatists are posted and which is personally supervised by Gerashchenko, with his address and telephone number. Question to the SBU: why the hell is “garbage” opening a database of Ukrainian citizens? Does this fall under the Data Protection Act? The same Gerashchenko, during a discussion on radio “Vesti” on April 13 about the need to kill Buzina, put his “like” on it. In practice, the security forces are overseeing this process openly. Another characteristic thing is that on this website “Peacemaker” it was written that Buzina is a homophobe. What does this have to do with separatism? And this means that everything will continue. But, as Boris Albertovich Filatov teaches us, we should not “relax the buns” in the opposite camp either. If this, as they claim, is “a policy of chaos and swaying,” then the Mustafa Nayemas, tailors, Filatovs and Farions should be the next to look hard. But I think that this is still a strategy to intimidate and destroy political opponents“,” notes political scientist 1
The end of August and the beginning of September turned out to be a fruitful time for the Ukrainian “special services”. The database of the “Peacemaker” website has been replenished with a couple of dozen Russian actors and musicians.
The reason for active renovation was the end of the holiday season. Stars who visited Crimea were declared violators of the state border. The fact is that, from the point of view of the Ukrainian authorities, one can only enter Crimea from Ukrainian territory: any visit to the peninsula through Russia or by direct plane is considered a violation. This is the crime that Alexander Shirvindt, the head of the Moscow Satire Theater, is accused of. He not only dared to come to Crimea, but also to tell his listeners:
“Darlings! Crimea is ours! I am yours!
True, he uttered these fateful words back in 2015.
Alexander Shirvindt
American rock musician Alex Carlin, leader of the Alex Carlin Band, also made the list for touring in Crimea. In August, the actor Sergei Bezrukov and the host of “Field of Miracles” Leonid Yakubovich also appeared on “Peacemaker”.
Alex Karlin, Sergei Bezrukov, Leonid Yakubovich
Collage: Channel Five
Yevgeny Maykhrovsky, 79-year-old “clown May,” is accused of deliberately violating the state border of Ukraine, anti-Ukrainian propaganda and “illegal touring activities in the territory of Crimea temporarily occupied by Russia.”
Evgeniy Maykhrovsky on the “Peacemaker” website
Screen: myrotvorets.center
Trainer Yuri Kuklachev and his cats will also not be able to appear in Kyiv after their performance in Crimea.
Yuri Kuklachev
The Leningrad group and Sergey Shnurov took part in the Zolotaya Balka festival near Sevastopol in 2017, for which they were included in the database along with the others. By the way, in the Peacemaker database, Shnurov’s profile states:
"Place of birth - Leningrad."
Doesn’t “Peacemaker” violate the law on decommunization by this?
Sergey Shnurov
Well, the inclusion of comedian Yevgeny Petrosyan in the “Peacemaker” database downright outraged the patriotic public. Especially that part of her that considers the humorist’s jokes too primitive.
“They brought in Petrosyan - consider us all insulted,” the Donbass militias are sad.
Evgeny Petrosyan
In addition, in just the last few months, Tatyana Ovsienko, Diana Gurtskaya, Yuri Loza, Valery Leontyev, Grigory Leps, Stas Piekha, singer Bianka and Mikhail Shufutinsky have been included in the Peacemaker database.
In April, Hollywood actor Steven Seagal was also included in the “Peacemaker” for visiting Crimea.
But the loudest scandal erupted on the eve of Eurovision 2017. Then the SBU banned Russian singer Yulia Samoilova from entering Ukraine, who was on the “Peacemaker” list because of her visit to Crimea. Then Russia refused to participate in the competition altogether.
But that's not all. In June 2017, the Myrotvorets received data from 216 passengers of the Prince Vladimir liner, who were heading to Crimea.
Liner "Prince Vladimir"
The “Peacemaker” does not spare either “strangers” or “our own”
Yevgeny Grishkovets, an actor and satirist, after a tour in Crimea, said that “Crimea was annexed illegally, but fairly, just as Yanukovych was overthrown illegally, but fairly.” An attempt to morally support the Maidan did not help: Ukraine “banned” Grishkovets.
Evgeniy Grishkovets on the “Peacemaker” website
Screen: myrotvorets.center
The hit on the “Peacemaker” by Vyacheslav Butusov turned out to be an incredible “zrada”, former leader group "Nautilus Pompilius", and now the lead singer of the group "U-Piter". Back in 2015, Butusov, together with Yuri Shevchuk, recorded a song in Ukrainian, “Autumn Panuye”: in this way, the artists tried to show that they do not support the war in Donbass. Butusov can rather be called a sympathizer of Ukraine; he did not stop performing there after the coup in 2014, but he also decided not to give up concerts in Crimea. Ukraine, however, did not appreciate it.
Vyacheslav Butusov
And they tried to ban Igor Shuvalov, deputy director for development of news programs at the Inter TV channel, from entering Ukraine even under Viktor Yanukovych - for supporting the Maidan. But already in the spring of 2017, he was accused of the exact opposite: Shuvalov was added to the “Peacemaker” list and was banned from entering Ukraine for 5 years for supporting “pro-Russian forces.” At the same time, it was the Inter TV channel at the end of 2013 that was the only Ukrainian media that accidentally filmed the “brutally brutal beating” - the allegedly brutal beating of European integration students, after which thousands of people came to the Maidan. Inter was by no means popular among pro-Russian Ukrainians: it was accused of being biased and discrediting the ideas of the Russian Spring.
Polish journalist Tomasz Maciejczuk was also unlucky. During the Maidan, he brought food and medicine to the protesters in Kyiv, and then supported the Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the Donbass. The scandalous Pole, who called the Red Army soldiers “red fascists,” began collaborating with Anatoly Shariy in 2016 and received a page on the Myrotvorets and a five-year ban on entering Ukraine.
“Peacemaker” for the freedom of YOUR speech
On August 25, two Spanish journalists whose data was on the “Peacemaker” were deported - António Pampliegu and Manuel Angel Sastre for publications about the bombing of Pervomaisk (LPR) in 2014 and the flooding of the mines of the Donetsk coal basin as a result of shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Madrid Press Association insists that the Spanish authorities demand an explanation from the Ukrainian government: after all, Pampliego and Sastre, who worked in the Donbass in 2014, covered events on both sides of the front line. Spanish journalists call Ukraine's actions "an attempt by an authoritarian regime to introduce censorship."
Previously, the site found itself at the epicenter of a high-profile international scandal due to the publication of personal data of approximately five thousand journalists who were accredited in the DPR. The list included many representatives of well-known foreign media. After this, the American State Department called it a violation of press freedom, and the EU Ambassador to Ukraine Tombinsky declared a violation of international norms. This was followed on May 13 by a message about the closure of “Peacemaker,” but on May 19 the site started working again, and on May 20 an updated list with journalists’ data appeared on it.
And just recently, in the center of Kyiv, Channel One correspondent Anna Kurbatova, who had recently been put on the “hit list,” was kidnapped. Later, Kurbatova was simply expelled from Ukraine. You could say she got off easy.
Tragedies
In most cases, the actions of the “Peacemaker” only cause a condescending smile, but sometimes it becomes no laughing matter at all. Thus, the murder of publicist Oles Buzina is directly linked to the publication of his personal data on this site. First, information about Buzina’s place of residence appeared on Myrotvorets, then Oles complained about threats against him, and soon he was shot dead near his house. A similar fate befell pro-Russian ex-deputy from the Party of Regions Oleg Kalashnikov. Kalashnikov died near his own house on the evening of April 15, Buzina - in the afternoon of April 16.
Reactions
Now there are so many people on “Peacemaker” that it’s difficult to upset anyone by getting there. But in general, it is customary to be proud of being included in the “Peacemaker”: it is something like recognition of merit. It is not for nothing that this summer the “I am on the Peacemaker” campaign started in St. Petersburg, and then in Donetsk. All opponents of the Kyiv regime were given badges with the appropriate inscription. For those who have not yet appeared on the site, there are other inscriptions on the badges: “I want to go to Myrotvorets” and “I’m looking to meet a guy from Myrotvorets.”
Photo: Museum of Military Valor of Donbass
Who is behind "Peacemaker"?
Lawyer Alexey Romanov from Kharkov traced who the Myrotvorets website was registered to. It turned out that the domain and its mirrors are owned by a resident of Thailand, Oksana Sergeevna Tinko. The website ordilo.org is also registered to her, publishing correspondence from hacked mailboxes of Novorossiya supporters. Tinko also owns the site novoross-army.com - a phishing site that steals email passwords.
Tinko herself stated that she is a volunteer and not an employee of the center, while publishing Romanov’s personal data.
“Yes, I took over the domains, because if something happens I have great experience both dealing with complaints about domains and closing domains, I know this process from all sides and, if something happens, I can take adequate measures. And in the event of any niggle, I am ready to take the first blow and give the Peacekeepers time to solve the problem with minimal losses for themselves,” she wrote on her Facebook.
On at the moment her post and account are unavailable.
Later, Alexey Romanov wrote to the US Embassy about the threats he received after disclosing information about the owner of the site.
Screen: facebook.com
It is also known that “Peacemaker” is registered in Canada. Its server appears as NATO HPWS/2.1. When scanned, it gave the address psb4ukr.nato.int, however “ Russian newspaper“During the investigation, it was revealed that “Peacemaker” does not refer to the NATO domain, but to the address natocdn.work, to which a certain resident of the Kyiv region Vladimir is related.
It is known that the site was created on the initiative of the scandalous People's Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada Anton Gerashchenko, but Gerashchenko himself calls himself not the owner of “Peacemaker”, but its volunteer.
Anton Gerashchenko
Despite all the blatant violations of international law, Ukrainian legislation (in particular, the law “On the Protection of Personal Data”) and the basic principles of freedom of speech, Ukraine is not going to close “Peacemaker” and does not see any violations in its work. The Security Service of Ukraine issued an official statement about this on May 12, 2015. And the Ukrainian ombudsman Valeria Lutkovskaya, who demanded the closure of the site, was threatened with resignation.
It is also worth noting that from the moment of opening until the attempt to close the site on May 13, 2016, its official partners included the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine and the SBU.
In general, Russian comedians, writers and artists are not just threatening some private group of activists with a dubious sanity in their perception of reality. This Ukrainian state sees them as a threat to its own integrity.
Anna Dolgareva
